Ireland's GUARD project trials drones for maritime drug surveillance

The GUARD project, involving Tyndall National Institute, A-techSYN, VRAI, WAZP, UCD and UL with Irish Naval Service input, demonstrated autonomous VTOL drones with up to 800 km range to detect suspect vessels. The system combines AI video analytics, digital twins, VR control interfaces and a gigabit millimetre-wave link, funded through the DTIF.

• GUARD VTOL drones reach up to 800 km and land on vessels or land
• Communications include a low-latency gigabit millimetre-wave link
• AI video analytics and digital twins speed up vessel assessment
• The project was funded through Ireland's DTIF programme